Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (hereinafter simply referred to as “CFRP”) having carbon fibers dispersed in a matrix resin are used in various applications such as aircrafts, automobiles, railroad vehicles, and other industrial machines due to their light weight and high strength, and there is a growing demand for CFRP. There is an increasing amount of remnants resulting from a CFRP production process and waste after the use of CFRP. Currently, waste is disposed by landfill etc. However, if the demand for CFRP continues to grow, waste disposal will be a big issue. For example, for the landfill that is currently used, it will be difficult to secure the landfill sites, and cost for landfill will also be an issue.
The matrix resin of CFRP is hydrolyzed and pyrolyzed by superheated steam. Combustible gas is thus generated from the matrix resin. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for gasifying a matrix resin of waste (CFRP) and recovering carbon fibers from the waste. The method described in Patent Document 1 can reduce the volume of the waste. The method described in Patent Document 1 can also reduce cost for heating the CFRP by heating a processing tube by heat from combustion of the gas.